Sewing machine cases

ABSTRACT

An integrally formed case for a sewing machine which when closed provides a protective enclosure when the sewing machine is carried and provides a work supporting surface when the sewing machine is operated. The case is removably affixed to the sewing machine and when opened exposes the tubular bed for use.

waited States Paten [1 1 Newman SEWING MACHINE CASES [75 Inventor: Albert L. Newman, Cleveland Heights, Ohio [73] Assignee: The Singer Company, New York,

[22] Filed; May 3, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 139,485

[52] US. Cl. 312/208, 312/244 [51] Int. Cl. A47b 21/00, A47b 95/02 [58] Field of Search..; 312/208, 240, 241,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,117,391 1/1964 Gugelot et a1. 312/244 X 3,445,052 5/1969 Lewallen.. l6/DIG. 13 3,625,582 12/1971 Naito 312/208 June 26, 1973 2,479,725 8/1949 Robert 312/208 X 2,958,304 11/1960 Arbib 312/208 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 70,913 8/1946 Norway 312/241 406,789 312/240 3/1934 Great Britain Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Attorney-Marshall J. Breen, Chester A. Williams, Jr. and Martin Sachs 5 7 ABSTRACT An integrally formed case for a sewing machine which when closed provides a protective enclosure when the sewing machine is carried and provides a work supporting surface when the sewing machine is operated. The case is removably affixed to the sewing machine and when opened exposes the tubular bed for use.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures PAIENIEuJum ms 3.741.618

INVENTOR. Albert L. Newman BY WITNESS= ATTORNEY PAIENIEnJuu2s ms 3,741.61 8

sum 2 or z 70 INVENTOR.

5 Albert L.- Newman BY 5 WITNE.S

ATTORNEY SEWING MACHINE CASES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to carrying cases for sewing machines in general, more particularly, to a protective cover for portable sewing machines which alternately provides a work platform in close proximity to the work supporting surface of the sewing machine bed.

Prior art carrying cases for portable sewing machines either provide a protective dust cover by utilizing soft flexible materials or provide a more rigid protective covering which is alternately used as an expanded work surface. These cases contain manycomponents or sections which are fastened together and affixed to the sewing machine. Some prior art carrying cases are made of materials sufficiently strong to support the weight of the sewing machine when carried and arerelatively expensive to manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes an integrally formed case which may be inexpensively manufactured in a single molding operation. The case provides a protective enclosure for a portable sewing machine when carried, a work platform in close proximity with the work supporting surface when the machine is operated, and includes integrally formed latches and hinges. The preferred embodiment affords protection to the sewing machine without being required to support the weight of the machine and is capable of being molded in one integral piece including the hinges and latches.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, an integrally formed case for a portable sewing machine which includes in combination a tubular bed member having a work supporting surface, a standard, and a bracket-arm having a handle fixedly mounted thereon, comprises, a base section adapted for removably mounting to the bed member of the sewing machine, a first cover section having a bottom edge and a top edge, the bottom edge being joined to the base section by a contiguous web along the bottom edge defining a hinge therebetween, the top edge being formed with a first portion, and a second cover section having a bottom edge and a top edge, the second cover top edge being formed with a second portion mating with the first portion to form an opening, the first and second top edges being joined together, exclusive of the opening, by a contiguous web defining a hinge therebetween, whereby the first and second sections may be selectively closed, providing a complete accommodating enclosure for the sewing machine exposing only the handle through the opening, or closed, providing a work platform in close proximity to the work surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable sewing machine embodying the invention during nonuse of the machine when it is enclosed for storage or transportation;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the carrying case,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the case with the cover sections closed for use as a work platform on a sewing machine; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the case with the cover section open and exposing the tubular bed of a sewing machine.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED- EMBODIMENT Referring now to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is herein disclosed as embodied in conjunction with a conventional portable tubular bed sewing machine 10.

The portable sewing machine 10 adapted to be used with the case of this invention has been shown generally in the figures to have a tubular base member 12 with a work supporting surface 14 and a standard 16 extending upward from the upper side of the base at one end thereof. A bracket arm 18 extends transversely from the upper end of standard 16, longitudinally across the base member 12 and terminates in a head 20. The bracket arm in the preferred embodiment of the invention is provided with a carrying handle 22 extending longitudinally across a portion of the bracket arm 18 and may be easily gripped by hand. The handle 22 is preferablylocated directly above the center of gravity of the machine so that when it is gripped by hand, the machine will hang evenly with the bed member 12 and the bracket arm 18, substantially horizontal. The machine is driven by a motor, not shown, located within the hollow standard 16.

Indicated generally at 24 in the drawings is a case fabricated in accordance with this invention. The case 24 is molded in one integral piece from a thermoplastic synthetic resin or other material characterized in that: a) when such materials are solids and molded with a reduced thickness to form a hinge they have good flexibility, tensile strength, and offer high resistance to fatigue failure; b) adequate rigidity is obtained for the cover sections of the case with a relatively small thickness which usually is greater than the hinge thickness.

The case 24 comprises a base section 26 which is provided with means for removably attaching it to the bed member 12 of the sewing machine 10. In the present embodiment the means comprises holes 25 provided in the base section 26 through which fastening screws 27 may be accommodated for securing the base section 26 beneath the sewing machine 10.

A first cover section 28 is integrally molded along the bottom edge 32 to the base section 26 by a contiguous web to form a hinge 30 therebetween. The bottom edge 32 of the first cover section 28, shown best in FIG. 5,

is integrally formed with suitable side walls 34 and 36. The bottom portions of side walls 34 and 36 are provided with rectangular shaped recesses 38 and 40, respectively. Centrally located within the recesses 38 and b 40, are nibs or protrusions 42 and 44 respectively,-

which function as part of a latching device described hereinafter. The side walls 34 and 36 are formed with increasing height from bottom to top, providing sufficient depth within, to cover approximately one half the thickness of the sewing machine 10.

The top edge of cover section 28 is comprised of a wall 46 having a recessed portion 50 which is integrally formed with side walls 34 and 36. The recessed portion 50 of wall 46 is made longer than the handle 22. Slots 52 and 54 are provided in the recessed portion 50 of wall 46 to clear and cooperate with the mounting legs 56 and 58 of handle 22.

A second cover section 60 is integrally formed with a top edge comprising a wall 62 having a recessed portion 64 which is equal in length to recessed portion 50. Slots 66 and 68 are provided in the recessed portion 64 of wall 62 to clear the mounting legs 56 and 58 of handle 22 and cooperate with slots 54 and 52, respectively. The top edge of wall 62 of cover section 60 is integrally formed with suitable side walls 70 and 72. The bottom portion of side walls 70 and 72 are provided with integrally molded tabs 74 and 76, respectively, which are provided with centrally located holes 78 and 80 to function as the mating parts of a latching device. The side walls 70 and 72 are formed with increasing height from the top edge 62 to the bottom edge 84 providing sufficient depth within to cover the remaining thickness of sewing machine 10.

The top edge of the second cover section 60 is integrally molded to the top edge of the first cover section 28 excluding portions 50 and 64 by a contiguous web to form a hinge 82 therebetween.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention shows a recessed portion in the top edges 46 and 62 of both the cover sections 28 and 60 respectively, it is also within the teachings of this invention to utilize a top edge having an opening other than the one described. Also, it is to be understood that a continuous wall on the top edge of both cover sections integrally molded and an opening located in either of the cover sections to permit entry of the handle therethrough, is within the scope of this invention.

In operation, the carrying case 24 is closed in a first position, shown in FIG. 1, when carrying the portable sewing machine. The case provides a complete enclosure for the sewing machine, exclusive of the carrying handle, by the mating of the first 28 and second 60 cover sections and is secured in place by the cooperation of holes 78 and 80 with nibs 42 and 40 respectively, in a conventional manner.

The carrying case 24 is capable of being closed in a second position as shown in FIG. 4. In this position the bottom edge 84 of the second cover section 60 mates with the contours of the standard 16 and tubular bed member 12. The second cover section, therefore, provides a convenient work support surface and becasue of its gentle slope helps to guide the work away from the sewing head 20. In this manner an operator is able to guide and feed the work to the sewing head without it being pulled by its own weight.

Conversely, the present case may be manufactured with the hinge 30 on the opposite edge of the base section 26 thereby providing a guide platform upon which the work may be fed to the sewing head with the work therefore, being pulled away from the sewing head 20 by its own weight.

The case 24 may be completely opened, as shown in FIG. 5, with the first 28 and second 60 cover sections unlatched. In this position the case exposes the tubular bed section 12 of the sewing machine allowing an operator access to the work surface to sew tubular materials.

Heretofore, has been described a portable sewing machine case which may be manufactured in one integral piece, including hinges and latches, and may function as a protective covering for the machine when it is carried, and a dust cover when it is stored. The case also provides a work platform when closed in an alternate position. In addition, completely opening the case allows access to the tubular sewing bed member. The preferred embodiment is able to perform all of these functions while being manufactured as one integral piece.

Having set forth the nature of this invention, what is claimed herein is:

1. An integrally formed carrying case which is capable of being molded in one integral piece including hinges and latches, and adapted for use with a portable sewing machine including in combination a tubular bed member having a work supporting surface, a standard, and a bracket arm having a handle fixedly mounted thereon, comprising:

a. a base section adapted for removably mounting to the bed member of said sewing machine and having a longitudinal edge parallel with said bracket arm;

b. a first cover section being integrally formed with half of a latching means and having a bottom edge and a top edge, said bottom edge being joined to said longitudinal edge of said base section by an adjoining web formed with said case defining a hinge therebetween, said top edge being formed with a first portion; and a second cover section being integrally formed with said base section and said first cover section and additionally including a mating half of said latching means, said second cover section having a bottom edge and a top edge, said second cover top edge being formed with a second portion adapted to cooperate with the first portion of said first cover section to form an opening, said first and second top edges being joined together, exclusive of said opening, by an adjoining web integrally formed with said case defining a hinge therebetween, whereby said first and second cover sections may be selectively closed, providing a complete accommodating enclosure for said sewing machine exposing only said handle through said opening or providing a work platform in close proximity to said work surface, or completely opened, exposing said tubular bed member. 

1. An integrally formed carrying case which is capable of being molded in one integral piece including hinges and latches, and adapted for use with a portable sewing machine including in combination a tubular bed member having a work supporting surface, a standard, and a bracket arm having a handle fixedly mounted thereon, comprising: a. a base section adapted for removably mounting to the bed member of said sewing machine and having a longitudinal edge parallel with said bracket arm; b. a first cover section being integrally formed with half of a latching means and having a bottom edge and a top edge, said bottom edge being joined to said longitudinal edge of said base section by an adjoining web formed with said case defining a hinge therebetweEn, said top edge being formed with a first portion; and c. a second cover section being integrally formed with said base section and said first cover section and additionally including a mating half of said latching means, said second cover section having a bottom edge and a top edge, said second cover top edge being formed with a second portion adapted to cooperate with the first portion of said first cover section to form an opening, said first and second top edges being joined together, exclusive of said opening, by an adjoining web inte-grally formed with said case defining a hinge therebetween, whereby said first and second cover sections may be selectively closed, providing a complete accommodating enclosure for said sewing machine exposing only said handle through said opening or providing a work platform in close proximity to said work surface, or completely opened, exposing said tubular bed member. 